Translation
answer, reply; response, oracle
Examples
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His answer was short.
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They were seeking the god's response.
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I received no answer.
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They were content with the king's answer.
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The oracle's answers were true.
Responsum, responsi is second declension neuter, and it started life as the perfect passive participle of respondeo, "the thing answered", before hardening into a noun. That history explains the range: a plain reply, the formal opinion of a jurist, and above all the answer of a god through an oracle or a priest.
Two things to watch. The neuter plural responsa looks like a feminine singular, so Responsa vera sunt is "the answers are true", not "the answer is true". And the church sense is a specific one: in the liturgy a responsum or responsorium is the sung reply of the congregation, which is where English responsory and the response of a prayer book come from.
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responsum: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Latin word "responsum" (answer, reply; response, oracle): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 16.